Almost one year after the release of their third studio album, Model, Wallows return with a new EP titled More, released on March 28. Wallows, consisting of Dylan Minnette, Cole Preston and Braeden Lemasters, have consistently established their place in the alternative scene since their very first release in 2017. Combining indie-rock and pop with influence from bands they grew up on (such as The Beatles and Arctic Monkeys), Wallows have continued to tediously lay the foundations of their unique sound. More delves into topics similar to its predecessor, exploring themes of love, growth, and existentialism.

More is made up of songs recorded at the same time as the album that did not make the cut; now they have their own place for fans to enjoy. More lives as its own project as well as a B-side to Model, Wallows said during a live Q&A on their Instagram in March. The band did not want to move on without sharing these songs with fans, but felt deterred from releasing a deluxe. Three songs off More, “Your New Favorite Song,” “Not Alone” and “Deep Dive,” were released as physical 7” b-side tracks to the first three singles off Model.

NOT ALONE

More starts off with track “Not Alone,” opening with bright synths, melodic pianos and vivid symbolism throughout, immediately setting a precedent for the rest of the EP. Synths are used consistently throughout the record, adding texture and emotion and enhancing the emotional undertone of each song. “Not Alone” is a bittersweet track that reflects on the emotional limbo that can follow the loss of a relationship, and how it lingers quietly in the background of one’s mind. “It's dark in the place where you used to be / And all I have’s a shadow that you left for me / I got pictures in my head workin' overtime / See the shattered face of you through the blinds,” Lemasters sings. The first verse of the song establishes an absence and being almost haunted by it — seeing them in their mind when they close their eyes. Lemasters claims they have spent so much time awake trying to rid them from his mind that they actually completed the task of counting every sheep.

“I've counted all the sheep and I know / My brain is turning upside down”

The second verse calls back to these sheep, emphasizing their emotional weight. “Staring at the ceiling now and I can't sleep / Maybe all the slaughterhousеs got the sheep / Or maybe they're just out getting sheared / To make a blanket of my fear.” In this lyric, Lemasters is trapped in overthinking, haunted by whether love is even real or just an elaborate pattern of pain. The sheep going to the slaughterhouse symbolize the destruction of their love, implying that maybe every relationship ends the same — painfully and inevitably. Or, maybe the sheep are missing because they are being sheared, something sheep need in order to survive but simultaneously stripping themselves of their past. All the pain, loss, and vulnerability is being shed and turned into something that surrounds them.

Pianos are introduced about halfway through the song, accompanied by the bridge. “You make a mold, your ghost is gone again / Enlightened by the sunlight shining in / I know it's wrong to want you right in front of me / And, by the way, I know you're where you're meant to be,” Minnette sings, an impactful vocal introduction to the EP. Again, establishing the permanent impression left behind that Minnette is not able to get rid of, and their absence continuing to haunt him. An instrumental splits the bridge filling the listener with an intense, emotional, and powerful feeling. The track swells with cinematic synths before picking up even more with drums and guitar. Impassioned, Minnette continues, “I'll wake alone, your ghost is gone again / Enlightened by the sunlight shining in / Now am I constrained in wondering if you think of me? / But either way, we're still not alone, still not alone.” Through the entire bridge, Minnette yearns for them, though they are probably better off apart. He continues, helplessly consumed by the question, unable to move forward. Though he is able to find comfort in the fact that they are in some ways still connected, a bittersweet ending to the song.

DEEP DIVE

The second track off More, “Deep Dive” is a strong contrast to “Not Alone.” The track explores obsession through compelling and evocative lyricism, filled by mellow guitar and moody synths. “Deep dive into my mind / You've been on it for some time,” Minnette begins, suggesting that if this individual were to take a look inside his brain they would see how much he is thinking of them. Minnette continues, “I've seen your silhouette / It's been doing pirouettes / Moves like a thunderstorm / Raindrops made of chloroform / I think it's flooding in.” He sees a delicate impression of this person in his mind, though their connection moves more like a storm, dangerous and chaotic. The storm they create — “raindrops made of chloroform” — implies that being around this person, or thinking of them, is intoxicating. Minnette is aware of the risks of falling in, though they are accepting of it, simply stating “I think it’s flooding in.”

Following a mesmerizing chorus, the second verse begins, “Drowned in the shallow end / While you were across the bend / I'vе seen you on the lawn / Where thе sun would set upon.” More beautiful imagery that paints a vivid image for listeners. Minnette feels so deeply he is able to surround himself in it, though it's early on. In his mind he pictures this person watching the sunset picturing a life and future with them in it. “We could lean into the fate / It's been speaking to us / Can you hear it?” Minnette wants them to absorb themself in it just as much as him. He knows they feel it the same as him, but are fighting it more. He simply wants them to confirm what he already knows.

The lyrics on “Deep Dive” are repetitive throughout, the second half of the song being a complete rehash. Staticky synths introduced a faster tempo and higher energy. The verses repeat, the second one being used as an outro with the chorus as backing. Though all the lyrics have already been sung the second half of the song feels much more intense and emotional.

COFFIN CHANGE

“Coffin Change” was the second single to be released off More. The track is driven by upbeat, chirpy guitar, turned down a whole step making it all sound a bit jangly, like change. The song made its live debut on Wallows’ most recent tour, the Model & More Tour, following its release on Feb. 20. Lemasters leads this song, something Wallows will often do to establish the lead writer of a track.

The existential lyrics of the track contrast against the bright guitar, questioning life and death and the purpose of it all. “There's more to life than living / More to life than this / Time, I used to waste all mine / Now time, time wastes me,” Lemasters sings. He knows there is a bigger meaning to life, but cannot seem to figure out the answer. Looking inward, Lemasters recounts taking time for granted at a younger age, and now not being able to control it wasting away. The second verse parallels the first, “Is therе more, more to death than dying? / Morе, more than life to live? / If time, time will outrun me / Then why do I still run?” He is struggling with finding a meaning to living if all that will come from it is death, as well as the anxiety of life’s pace and never being able to keep up. The guitar and drums pick up through the outro of the song, accompanied by repetitive lyricism, intensifying the outro and further establishing their struggle with existentialism, the passage of time and it slipping away.

HIDE IT AWAY

On the sixth night of Wallows’ previous tour, the band added a random unreleased song to their setlist rotation, though it was definitely intentional the further the tour went on. The band began playing without any indication of it being new, catching many fans off guard. This song was the fourth track off More, “Hide It Away.”

The song starts off with energetic drums and fast-paced guitar, accompanied by lyrics which tackle emotional repression and vulnerability. “Can you put the words back on my tongue? / Are my songs already sung? / Am I done with sounding young?” Minnette opens the song, delving straight into his internal conflicts with originality and the paranoia that comes with it, as well as struggling to accept his growth into maturity. “Do we grow up to sell all of our trust? / Does our optimism rust? / But I'll learn how to adjust,” Minnette continues. These lines pose a rhetorical, almost existential, question: Is growing up inherently about losing the ability to trust others the way we did as kids? Is it inevitable that we become more guarded and emotionally distant as we learn how the world really works?

“Cause it's fine if I choke up, I'll hide it away / I can fake it anyway, if the tears fall off my face / It's for good, if you notice I hide from myself / Know it's better for my health, asking questions doesn't help / 'Cause I'm fine,” Minnette sings, saying that when he is struggling he pushes everything down. Although he says he's fine, he is avoiding facing problems or answering questions. Following the final chorus of the song is a lull in drums, for the first time this track, creating a heavy dramatic emphasis on the first two lines of the outro, “I know that all this pain is good / I know that feeling all this pain is good.” Finally, Minnette recognizes and admits what he has been avoiding the whole song. The drums come back swinging for a dramatic finish as the lines repeat, emphasizing he is struggling to believe it. “And I'll hide it away for good,” closes the track, regressing back into fear.

YOUR NEW FAVORITE

“Your New Favorite Song” is the track fans have spent the most time with, originally releasing back at the start of January. “Your New Favorite Song” is another romantic track, filled with fuzzy guitar riffs and rich horns — a consistent Wallows staple. The first verse of the song looks back at both the good and bad that came from their relationship. “We can think on the years that go by / Or we could count all the tears that we've cried.” Into the second verse, Minnette wonders if they are struggling just the same, “Do you like not having me at home? / Can you even get through this alone? / Well, I, I don't wanna know / No, I, I don't wanna know.” Though, they can admit they do not want to have to face the honest answer. “Your New Favorite Song” was a phenomenal introduction to More that blends elements of classic Wallows with their ever-evolving sound.

LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN

The sixth track blends soft piano with tight drums establishing a dreamy and cinematic atmosphere. Though the song comes near the end of the EP, “Learn to Love Again” explores the early stages of growing feelings, “Looking for a new experience / I can tell you're feeling curious / About what I've got in mind / I'll show you what you deserve, I have the time.” Minnette can sense this mutual interest and is encouraging the subject to open themself up to it. Despite feeling the pull, they are holding back, “I know that you're okay / You don't need to be saved / But I can help you pave the way.” The pre-chorus stands out, as Minnette attempts to convince this individual to go all in. It is obvious the past holds both subjects of the song back. These lines are a vow to help them grow without becoming codependent.

The chorus comes in with powerful and romantic piano, “I can hear the sound / I know someday you'll come around / And it's already begun / You know I'm not just anyone / You'll see you can learn to love again.” Minnette is already falling, and he is willing to wait for them to realize as well. The choruses throughout the song have lyric changes, each time growing more and more open. The final chorus and outro hit hard, “You know you're not just anyone to me / You learned to love again.” They have finally come around, and opened themself up, with the final line of the song, “You can hear the sound.”

DEEP DIVE (REPRISE)

Closing out the end of the EP is “Deep Dive (Reprise),” a dynamic track that rounds out More beautifully, as well as reestablishes and emphasizes the EP’s consistent themes. The track feels the most rough around the edges, similar to how “Deep Dive” might have sounded as a demo giving it a stripped back quality and listeners more of an authentic finale to the EP.

More stands as a testament to Wallows’ evolution, combining their classic sound and lyricism, with engaging experimentation that heightens the listening experience and allows the band to move into a more mature sound. Wallows are heading back across North America in May, playing a few festivals along the way, before heading to Europe in August for more festivals and headliners in the United Kingdom. Wallows consistently put on an incredible live performance you won't want to miss.

Get tour tickets: here.

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